Clinton-Appointed Federal Judge Bars Texas AG Paxton's Lawsuit Against ActBlue Authored by Kimberley Hayek via The Epoch Times, A federal judge has barred Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from pursuing his state court lawsuit against ActBlue, a major Democratic online fundraising platform. President Clinton-appointed U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns ruled Thursday that the case represented no ...
Clinton-Appointed Federal Judge Bars Texas AG Paxton's Lawsuit Against ActBlue Authored by Kimberley Hayek via The Epoch Times, A federal judge has barred Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from pursuing his state court lawsuit against ActBlue, a major Democratic online fundraising platform. President Clinton-appointed U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns ruled Thursday that the case represented no more than a retaliation campaign for ActBlue’s political activities supporting Paxton’s opponent in the 2026 U.S. Senate race. Stearns issued a preliminary injunction preventing Paxton from pursuing the Texas case. The judge found the lawsuit attempted to undermine protected political speech and therefore violated the First Amendment. “The truth is plain and captured in Paxton’s own declarations: The lawsuit was filed in retaliation for (and in an attempt to suppress) ActBlue’s efforts to fund Talarico’s campaign,” Stearns wrote in the ruling. Neither Paxton’s office nor ActBlue immediately returned a request for comment. Paxton filed the initial lawsuit in April in Texas state court as he campaigned as the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate seat. The suit singled out ActBlue, a Massachusetts-based fundraising platform that claims to have raised billions for Democratic candidates and causes since its founding in 2004 . It sought civil penalties and an order blocking ActBlue from accepting certain gift card donations. The Texas attorney general alleged that ActBlue employed deceptive practices after the fundraising platform resumed gift card and foreign prepaid debit card donations after informing Congress that it had ceased conducting the transactions. Paxton alleged the practices could empower foreign nationals to hide their identities while making political contributions, potentially in violation of state law. The action mirrors wider Republican-led scrutiny of online fundraising platforms, which has included directives from the Trump administration to the Justice Dep...
Ken Leech , the former co-chief investment officer at Western Asset Management Co. , will plead guilty in a case related to allegations that he fraudulently assigned winning trades to favored clients while forcing others to take losses, days before he was to face a federal criminal trial. The former star bond trader said at a court hearing in New York that he intends to plead guilty to a single co...
Ken Leech , the former co-chief investment officer at Western Asset Management Co. , will plead guilty in a case related to allegations that he fraudulently assigned winning trades to favored clients while forcing others to take losses, days before he was to face a federal criminal trial. The former star bond trader said at a court hearing in New York that he intends to plead guilty to a single count of obstructing proceedings. The move avoids a June 15 criminal trial and allows Leech, 72, to seek a more lenient sentence in a case where he faced decades in prison. Prosecutors in 2024 charged Leech with illegally cherry-picking $600 million in winning trades between 2021 and 2023. He faced five criminal charges, including securities fraud and investment adviser fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The last minute plea allows Wamco, the bond firm owned by Franklin Resources Inc. , to minimize the public scrutiny that would have come from a trial in the high-profile case. The firm recently agreed to pay $100 million to settle US Securities and Exchange Commission claims that it knew or should have known about Leech’s trading practices and “failed to reasonably supervise” him. Wamco didn’t admit liability as part of the settlement. Wamco has been under pressure since 2024 when it disclosed an SEC investigation of Leech, at the time the firm’s co-chief investment officer, triggering an outflow of tens of billions in client assets and prompting key employees to depart to competitors. In the trial, which was set to take six weeks, government lawyers were prepared to present jurors with expert testimony and reams of data analyzing Leech’s trading. They claimed Leech often waited hours after making trades, to see whether they were profitable, before assigning the winners to clients that generated higher fees for Wamco.
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is among our Good Stocks to Invest in Now. The stock has gained more than 13% over the past 6 months, and the Street expects more than 18% upside from the current levels. Recently, on June 9, TD Cowen analyst John Blackledge raised his price target on Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) from $450 […]
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is among our Good Stocks to Invest in Now. The stock has gained more than 13% over the past 6 months, and the Street expects more than 18% upside from the current levels. Recently, on June 9, TD Cowen analyst John Blackledge raised his price target on Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) from $450 […]
2Ban Bill Gurley has issued a stark warning for Visa ( V ) and Mastercard ( MA ), arguing that stablecoins could pose a structural threat to the payments giants rather than just pressure their margins. Speaking on The Knowledge Project and highlighted by Shay Boloor on X , Gurley said Visa and Mastercard are "heavily threatened by stablecoins." He added, "There's zero reason" why it should cost 2%...
2Ban Bill Gurley has issued a stark warning for Visa ( V ) and Mastercard ( MA ), arguing that stablecoins could pose a structural threat to the payments giants rather than just pressure their margins. Speaking on The Knowledge Project and highlighted by Shay Boloor on X , Gurley said Visa and Mastercard are "heavily threatened by stablecoins." He added, "There's zero reason" why it should cost 2%-3% transaction fees when modern technology can move money instantly at a fraction of the cost. Gurley argued that the technology for instant payments has existed for decades, noting that the U.K., India, Australia, Argentina, and China already have such systems. Yet U.S. consumers still pay 2%-2.5% on credit card transactions and wait days for ACH transfers. According to him, resistance from banks with stakes in both payment giants has slowed adoption of alternatives such as FedNow, turning payment fees into what he described as regulatory capture rather than economic necessity. He pointed to USD Coin ( USDC-USD ), backed dollar-for-dollar by U.S. Treasuries, as a disruptive alternative. USDC can move money in seconds for pennies while offering roughly 4% yield. Visa and Mastercard currently generate operating margins of around 60%, but Gurley believes stablecoins do not need permission to undercut those economics. If the shift accelerates and Coinbase Global ( COIN ) becomes a key infrastructure provider, he sees significant upside for the crypto exchange as digital payments increasingly move away from traditional card networks. More on Mastercard, Visa Mastercard Incorporated (MA) Presents at RBC Capital Markets Global Financial Technology Conference 2026 Transcript Mastercard: Advanced DuPont Analysis Reveals Value-Added Services Are Built To Skyrocket The Share Price Visa: Why The DOJ Lawsuit Has Created A Rare Buying Opportunity Visa partners with OpenAI for agentic commerce; enhances AI, stablecoin, token capabilities Mastercard bets 'next boom won't be human-led;' l...
MetaX Integrated Circuits Shanghai Co. plans to list shares in Hong Kong to capture the boom in chip stocks after a blockbuster initial public offering in mainland China last year. The proposed Hong Kong listing will support the company’s growth and globalization strategy, it said in a Shanghai Stock Exchange filing Friday. The plan remains subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, while di...
MetaX Integrated Circuits Shanghai Co. plans to list shares in Hong Kong to capture the boom in chip stocks after a blockbuster initial public offering in mainland China last year. The proposed Hong Kong listing will support the company’s growth and globalization strategy, it said in a Shanghai Stock Exchange filing Friday. The plan remains subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, while discussions with advisers are ongoing and transaction details have yet to be finalized. The maker of graphics processing units for artificial intelligence developers started trading in Shanghai in December after raising $586 million. It has soared 564% since the IPO, lifting its market value to 278 billion yuan ($41 billion). MetaX would be joining a growing group of AI-related Chinese companies that have listed or are planning to sell shares in Hong Kong, where more than $22 billion has been raised in IPOs alone this year. There’s strong demand for Chinese companies as they develop new technologies with Beijing’s backing. Why Huawei’s Chipmaking Plan Has Investors Buzzing: Explainer China Preps $295 Billion Plan to Fund Nationwide AI Buildout IPOs, Huawei Plan Add to China’s $900 Billion Chip Stock Boom ChangXin Memory Technologies recently filed for a Shanghai IPO that may raise at least 29.5 billion yuan , which would be the mainland’s largest in several years. Yangtze Memory Technologies is also expected to seek a listing this year.
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is one of the Good Stocks to Invest in Now. Wall Street remains bullish on NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) despite around 3% decline over the past few days. The decline stems from investor caution regarding the technology sector’s ability to make a profit from the AI capital expenditure. Analysts see more than 44% […]
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is one of the Good Stocks to Invest in Now. Wall Street remains bullish on NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) despite around 3% decline over the past few days. The decline stems from investor caution regarding the technology sector’s ability to make a profit from the AI capital expenditure. Analysts see more than 44% […]
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is one of the Good Stocks to Invest in Now. On June 2, Reuters reported that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) announced a new quantum computing chip called Majorana 2. The chip is redesigned using AI and is set to be commercially useful for quantum computing by 2029. This move puts Microsoft in direct […]
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is one of the Good Stocks to Invest in Now. On June 2, Reuters reported that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) announced a new quantum computing chip called Majorana 2. The chip is redesigned using AI and is set to be commercially useful for quantum computing by 2029. This move puts Microsoft in direct […]
Getty Images I'm keeping Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. ( MFG ) as a 'Buy-rated' name. MFG chose to finance the fresh investment in Rakuten Bank ( RKTNF ) with the existing Rakuten Card stake, rather than utilizing its own cash. This means its capital adequacy won't be weakened. Also, it is a key beneficiary of a highly probable Japanese rate hike. Mizuho's majority interest in an Indian finance fir...
Getty Images I'm keeping Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. ( MFG ) as a 'Buy-rated' name. MFG chose to finance the fresh investment in Rakuten Bank ( RKTNF ) with the existing Rakuten Card stake, rather than utilizing its own cash. This means its capital adequacy won't be weakened. Also, it is a key beneficiary of a highly probable Japanese rate hike. Mizuho's majority interest in an Indian finance firm and the high likelihood of enhanced cash payouts were detailed in my prior January 1, 2026 write-up . Share Swap Avoided The Need For Capital Infusion On May 20, the group filed a 6-K disclosing a "strengthening of strategic capital and business alliance between [its subsidiary] Mizuho Bank and Rakuten Bank." MFG's stock price previously dropped 3.5% two days prior to the announcement. This came after a Bloomberg report suggested that it's "considering investing in" RKTNF. At that time, the former already owned a 14.99% stake in the latter's sister company, Rakuten Card. I think the market was worried that Mizuho's "Common Equity Tier 1 (CET-1)" metric would be weighed down by a liquidity-depleting transaction. That could have in turn led to reduced buybacks and smaller dividends. It's reassuring for me to learn that MFG eventually decided to exchange its shares in the card business for a 5.8% ownership of RKTNF. The enterprise's adjusted CET-1, excluding unrealized gains, was 9.9% as of end-FY25 or Mar 31, 2026. If the Rakuten Bank deal was cash-funded, this ratio could have fallen towards the lower end of its 9.5%-10.5% target. Also, there's an increased probability of MFG buying more of its own shares in the current fiscal year without the RKTNF-related capital strain. Its initial FY2026 repurchase guide amounting to ¥0.1T represented just 25% of FY2025 actuals. My take is that it's value-accretive for Mizuho to have direct exposure to RKTNF, described by institutional fund TimesSquare as "Japan's leading digital bank." The late-May 6-K referenced above acknowledged th...
Prediction market traders are increasingly betting that any merger between Tesla ( TSLA ) and SpaceX ( SPCX ) remains a longer-term possibility rather than an imminent corporate event. According to data from Kalshi, the highest-probability timeframe currently places the chances of a merger occurring before May 1, 2027, at 51%, making it the first date on the market calendar to exceed an implied pr...
Prediction market traders are increasingly betting that any merger between Tesla ( TSLA ) and SpaceX ( SPCX ) remains a longer-term possibility rather than an imminent corporate event. According to data from Kalshi, the highest-probability timeframe currently places the chances of a merger occurring before May 1, 2027, at 51%, making it the first date on the market calendar to exceed an implied probability of 50%. The market assigns progressively lower odds to earlier deadlines. Traders estimate a 41% probability that Tesla and SpaceX will merge before April 1, 2027, while the likelihood falls to 36% before March 1, 2027. Odds decline further for 2026 milestones, with the market pricing just a 24% chance of a merger before December 1, 2026, and a 14% probability before October 1, 2026. Near-term expectations remain especially limited. Kalshi traders assign only a 2% chance that a merger will be completed before July 1, 2026, rising to 5% before August and 8% before September. While no merger plans have been publicly announced, traders continue to speculate on whether deeper integration between Tesla and SpaceX could eventually emerge as a strategic possibility as investors await the highly anticipated SpaceX IPO. More on markets Dividend Roundup: Microsoft, Philip Morris, Coca-Cola, Target, and more Is SpaceX worth $1.8T? SA analysts weigh In ahead of the blockbuster IPO Tech sector delivers one of the best earnings quarters since 2001 Trump halts Iran strikes and signals major Middle East agreement nearing completion Top 10 most oversold S&P 500 stocks
Prediction market traders are increasingly betting that any merger between Tesla ( TSLA ) and SpaceX ( SPCX ) remains a longer-term possibility rather than an imminent corporate event. According to data from Kalshi, the highest-probability timeframe currently places the chances of a merger occurring before May 1, 2027, at 51%, making it the first date on the market calendar to exceed an implied pr...
Prediction market traders are increasingly betting that any merger between Tesla ( TSLA ) and SpaceX ( SPCX ) remains a longer-term possibility rather than an imminent corporate event. According to data from Kalshi, the highest-probability timeframe currently places the chances of a merger occurring before May 1, 2027, at 51%, making it the first date on the market calendar to exceed an implied probability of 50%. The market assigns progressively lower odds to earlier deadlines. Traders estimate a 41% probability that Tesla and SpaceX will merge before April 1, 2027, while the likelihood falls to 36% before March 1, 2027. Odds decline further for 2026 milestones, with the market pricing just a 24% chance of a merger before December 1, 2026, and a 14% probability before October 1, 2026. Near-term expectations remain especially limited. Kalshi traders assign only a 2% chance that a merger will be completed before July 1, 2026, rising to 5% before August and 8% before September. While no merger plans have been publicly announced, traders continue to speculate on whether deeper integration between Tesla and SpaceX could eventually emerge as a strategic possibility as investors await the highly anticipated SpaceX IPO. More on markets Dividend Roundup: Microsoft, Philip Morris, Coca-Cola, Target, and more Is SpaceX worth $1.8T? SA analysts weigh In ahead of the blockbuster IPO Tech sector delivers one of the best earnings quarters since 2001 Trump halts Iran strikes and signals major Middle East agreement nearing completion Top 10 most oversold S&P 500 stocks
49North, a wholly owned subsidiary of MDA Space ( TSX: MDA ) ( NYSE: MDA ), on Friday said it had secured a renewed contract from the U.S. Air Force for its Global Procedure Designer aviation software platform. The contract, awarded through the Canadian Commercial Corporation on behalf of 49North, is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity agreement with a ceiling value of up to $43 million thr...
49North, a wholly owned subsidiary of MDA Space ( TSX: MDA ) ( NYSE: MDA ), on Friday said it had secured a renewed contract from the U.S. Air Force for its Global Procedure Designer aviation software platform. The contract, awarded through the Canadian Commercial Corporation on behalf of 49North, is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity agreement with a ceiling value of up to $43 million through June 2031. The initial funding obligation for fiscal 2026 is approximately $4.7 million. The agreement covers operations support, help desk services, and software sustainment for the Global Procedure Designer platform, with work to be performed in Richmond, British Columbia. The renewed contract extends a relationship between 49North and the U.S. Air Force that the company said spans more than 25 years. Source: Press Release More on MDA Space Ltd. MDA Space: SpaceX IPO Hype Forces A More Cautious View (Rating Downgrade) MDA Space Ltd. (MDA:CA) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript MDA Space Ltd. 2026 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation MDA Space launches MIDNIGHT platform to boost orbital defense capabilities MDA Space initiated with bullish outlook at J.P. Morgan on satellite growth
syahrir maulana/iStock via Getty Images U.S. small-cap stocks are off to their strongest relative start to a year in more than two decades, with the iShares Russell 2000 ETF ( IWM ) outperforming the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust ( SPY ) by around 10 percentage points year-to-date. IWM has gained 19.3% so far this year, nearly double SPY's 9.3% return, marking its best relative performance versus the ben...
syahrir maulana/iStock via Getty Images U.S. small-cap stocks are off to their strongest relative start to a year in more than two decades, with the iShares Russell 2000 ETF ( IWM ) outperforming the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust ( SPY ) by around 10 percentage points year-to-date. IWM has gained 19.3% so far this year, nearly double SPY's 9.3% return, marking its best relative performance versus the benchmark since 2001. The rally signals renewed investor appetite for smaller companies after years of large-cap dominance, with expectations of easing financial conditions and improving domestic growth prospects helping lift the Russell 2000 benchmark. Several of the fund's largest holdings carry top Momentum Grades. Momentum grades measure a stock's price performance relative to its peers and range from A+ to F, with A+ representing the strongest momentum. Here are the top 10 holdings and their YTD performance: Here are the top 10 holdings and their respective Momentum Grades and YTD performance: Bloom Energy ( BE ) — Momentum Grade: A+;YTD Performance: +186.43% Sterling Infrastructure ( STRL ) — Momentum Grade: A+; YTD Performance: +173.83% TTM Technologies ( TTMI ) — Momentum Grade: A+; YTD Performance: +171.32% Credo Technology ( CRDO ) — Momentum Grade: A; YTD Performance: +84.00% Nextpower ( NXT ) — Momentum Grade: A-; YTD Performance: +37.39% IonQ ( IONQ ) — Momentum Grade: B; YTD Performance: +29.24% Guardant Health ( GH ) — Momentum Grade: A; YTD Performance: +28.16% Fabrinet ( FN ) — Momentum Grade: B; YTD Performance: +27.89% EchoStar ( SATS ) — Momentum Grade: A+; YTD Performance: +17.87% Coeur Mining ( CDE ) — Momentum Grade: C-; YTD Performance: -8.02% Here is a chart shared by Mike Zaccardi on X: StockChart.com More on iShares Russell 2000 ETF SpaceX Debut Likely Marks An Intermediate Top We May Have Peace In The Middle East But High Inflation Is Here To Stay Brace For A Hawkish Turn And A Deeper Selloff - June Fed Meeting Preview Vanguard overtakes BlackRock a...
NVO stock gains 3% as the United Kingdom becomes Europe's first country to approve the daily GLP-1 Wegovy weight-loss pill, overshadowing an IT security breach.
NVO stock gains 3% as the United Kingdom becomes Europe's first country to approve the daily GLP-1 Wegovy weight-loss pill, overshadowing an IT security breach.
(RTTNews) - Shell plc (SHEL), the British petroleum company, Friday announced that it is pausing its $3 billion share repurchase program from and including, June 12, until including the market close of July 14.
(RTTNews) - Shell plc (SHEL), the British petroleum company, Friday announced that it is pausing its $3 billion share repurchase program from and including, June 12, until including the market close of July 14.